An Egyptian court sentenced 11 Muslim Brotherhood leaders to life in prison on espionage charges for allegedly passing state secrets to the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Among those sentenced in Cairo criminal court was the outlawed Brotherhood’s chief, Mohamed Badie.
The court formally dropped charges against the late former president, Mohamed Morsi, who collapsed and died in June during an earlier court session on the case. His death brought criticism from local and international rights groups who accused the government of deliberately denying medical care to political prisoners.
The Muslim brotherhood is designated as a terror organization in Egypt after it toppled the 30-year rule of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
